Judah P. Benjamin

Judah Philip Benjamin (11 August 1811-6 May 1884) was a US Senator from Louisiana (W) from 4 March 1853 to 4 February 1861 (succeeding Solomon Downs and preceding John S. Harris), Confederate States Attorney General from 25 February to 15 November 1861 (preceding Wade Keyes), Confederate Secretary of War from 17 September 1861 to 24 March 1862 (succeeding LeRoy Pope Walker and preceding George W. Randolph), and Confederate Secretary of State from 18 March 1862 to 10 May 1865 (succeeding William M. Browne).

Biography
Judah Philip Benjamin was born on Saint Croix in the British-occupied Danish West Indies in 1811 to Sephardic Jewish parents from London. Seeking greater opportunities, his family immigrated to the United States, eventually settling in Charleston, South Carolina. He left Yale College without graduating, moving to New Orleans and becoming a lawyer and a wealthy planter and slaveowner. He served in both houses of the state legislature before serving in the US Senate from 1853 to 1861, and he was an eloquent supporter of slavery. In 1861, he resigned and returned to New Orleans following his state's secession, and he soon moved to Richmond after Confederate president Jefferson Davis appointed him Attorney General. Davis was impressed by his competence and appointed him Secretary of War, and Benjamin was a strong supporter of Davis. In March 1862, he was again promoted, this time to Secretary of State. He failed to negotiate official recognition for the Confederacy by Britain and France, and his plan to free and arm the slaves to fight for the Confederacy also failed. He accompanied Davis during his flight from Richmond in 1865, and he escaped to Britain, where he settled and became a lawyer. He rose to the top of his profession before retiring in 1883, and he died in Paris the following year.